gen:Lock - Rise of Talon Prologue
by SonicNitro
Summary: With Nemesis beaten and Chicago saved, the gen:Lock team had achieved a huge victory against the Union. But it's only the beginning. For while Chase and his team continue to master their technology, the Union were assembling a team of their own. Enter Task Force Talon, led by Dante; a pilot whose past involves Chase and Yaz. These two teams will clash in the ultimate mech battle.


**gen:Lock – Rise of Talon**

1 year before the battle of Chicago …

Unknown location, Union territory…

In a sparsely filled room, illuminated by crimson red all around. There sat a man at a table in the centre of the room. Dante arrived had been waiting in this room for about twenty minutes, though it almost felt like an hour.

The room had little in the way of luxuries. Just a table and two steel chairs. The only comfort provided here was a decanter and two small glass cups on a steel tray placed precisely in the centre. There was also a clock above the sliding door that Dante entered from. The only thing that seemed out of place in this room. In an age where new technologies were being invented and everything was digital, there was a standard round clock. Ticking away the time. Dante was amused by it.

The room gave Dante the feeling that it was meant to be one for interrogation, rather than a place for officers of the Union to congregate and talk. Was it something he had said or done whilst on duty? He occasionally would blur out or in his opinion would joke around about his superiors' decisions regarding politics and war. These were to him always overshadowed by his aerial combat expertise.

He had been busy flying sorties with his squadron for the campaigns in South America. He was originally assigned to the theatre of North America. But after the Battle of New York, the campaign failed to satisfy him. It was all too easy. The Great Union of the Fourth Turning Republics, or simply referred to by everyone from all walks of life as the Union, were literally winning the war. Pushing the Polity and its military arm; the Vanguard slowly out of the continent from East to West. It would only be a matter of time before their flags would be planted on the west coast. From New York to Los Angeles and from Vancouver all the way down to Mexico City, all painted red.

Dante poured himself a glass of water, taking a long sip before returning the glass to the tray. He leaned back in his chair, pushing his hands over his pale face before running them through his jet-black hair. He used to have long to the point where it reached down below the back of his neck, now he kept it cut at halfway. There were two things that mattered to him above all else. The thrill of flying in an aircraft under the blue sky and the chance to meet someone again. The man who he had hoped to cross paths again when this war began. He hadn't seen that person since. What a disappointment.

He stared with his emerald eyes at the clock. It was 10:28 am local time and ticking. He had been in this room for almost 30 minutes. Just then he heard footsteps outside the door. Dante shifted himself in his chair and straightened out his jacket. About bloody time he thought. There was a red light above the doorway that turned blue. The change in colour blinded him momentarily, having been so used to seeing everything in red and black. The doors slide open and in came a lone man dressed in the attire of a high-ranking officer. The door hissed shut behind him and the blue light changed back to red.

"I apologise for making you wait, Lieutenant Dante" Colonel Rusev spoke with a thick Bulgarian accent, "I haven't killed you with boredom yet, have I?"

"Not like I have anything better to do here Colonel" Dante replied as he got out of his chair and saluted.

"At ease Lieutenant," the colonel gestured for him to sit back down. Colonel Zayko Aleksandrov Rusev was a very tall and built man. He overshadowed Dante by a few inches, with a scar that travelled vertically across his left cheek that stopped by the edge of his jawline. He sat down opposite Dante and removed his hat, revealing a clean bald head.

"Very Spartan-like services you have here" Dante joked.

"Were you expecting something more?"

"Perhaps a bar with your finest cocktails with a maid or two, no? Jokes aside, I'd rather get this meeting over with so I can get back to flying".

"Fair enough. Do you remember when we first met comrade?"

"About a year before this war began. So that altogether 4 years ago".

"You were once part of a rogue squadron of ace pilots. The Iron Talons if I'm correct?"

"Yes," said Dante.

"Notorious for dominating the skies around the Pacific Ocean until you were brought down by the Vanguard Air Force".

"All good things come to an end one way or another," Dante confessed.

"You volunteered to cover your squad's retreat, where you engaged in a dogfight with one of the enemy's best pilots".

Dante shuffled himself before answering "Indeed. I took on an entire squad of the Vanguard's best pilots. Only to be brought down by one of them. Clipped both of my wings. As I ejected from my aircraft, I was able to grab onto the wing of the plane that bested mine".

"You saw the face of the pilot?"

"Yes, I did. I remember it as if it was yesterday. I dug my serrated knife into the metal of the wing to hold on. I gripped onto his interceptor with all everything I had just to stare right through the cockpit window into his face. You literally froze as we locked eyes at each other".

"Why did you do it?"

"I wanted to see my foe. Look that person in the eyes and let him know that I wanted a rematch someday. The moment we locked eyes on one another, it felt like time had slowed down. After that, I let go, dived toward the sea before pulling out my refuge on a remote island until found by you and the Union. You brought me all the way from the Pacific to Algeria to help train your pilots and here we are now".

"What was the pilot's name?" the colonel asked.

"Chase", Dante answered coldly "Julian 'Chaser' Chase".

"Interesting."

"Why does this matter? The fool is probably dead by now anyway".

Rusev leaned back in his chair for a moment before asking "Are you sure about that?"

Dante eyes narrowed "What are you saying, Colonel?"

The Colonel grinned as he leaned forward again "What if I offered you the chance to meet him again in battle?"

"To face me again in air-to-air combat?"

"Not quite" At that point, the Colonel raised his hand to the ceiling. With a snap of a finger, a holo-vid display appeared on the left wall. Dante turned his attention to it, as the display projected images of a city street broadcasted from the visor of a soldier's helmet. The soldier was among a squad, flanked each side by a spider tank. Their guns were pointing at something. And then from out of nowhere, a massive humanoid figure appeared from out of one of the streets. It charged straight for the spider tank on the right. Dante squinted his eyes. The thing was about 4 stories tall, encased in boxy armour painted in grey and teal. Its nose resembled that a bird's beak to him. The Union soldiers opened fire on the attacker, their bullets bounced like pebbles off the giant's armour. It moved with a grace never before displayed by a mech of its size. Dante noticed the wheels on the feet that allowed the mech to dodge the spider tanks canon fire with ease. Once in close range, it jumped on top, pulling out what appeared to be the largest assault rifle he ever saw. Five shots from this gun and the spider tank exploded. The camera turned left, the other spider tank was being tackled by another mech. Exactly the same model as the first save for the little features and marked in yellow and white. It had flipped the walker onto its back with ease before pulling out two submachine guns. The barrage of bullets at close range to the spider's underbelly resulted in its explosive end. The soldier turned back to the other mech. The teal mech wiped the rest of the squad with at least two shots before charging at the soldier witnessing the onslaught. Dante watched as the mech raised its foot to stomp on the poor fool. At that point, the footage went dead.

"Rewind and pause at last image please". The Colonel ordered. The image returned to the last few seconds, showing the mech up close.

"What the hell are those things?" Dante looked at the Rusev.

"These my friend are what the enemy call Holons," Rusev answered, "My sources tell me they are part of an experiment run by a Dr Rufus Weller, the head of the Vanguard's Experimental Science Unit".

"They're too flexible to be drones. Is there a pilot inside them?" Dante demanded.

"According to my intelligence, they are piloted via a system the ESU refers to as gen:Lock".

"What does that mean?"

The colonel pointed to his own head, then to the display. "Imagine taking your mind from your organic human brain and sticking inside an electronic box inside a machine like that".

Dante looked back to the vid display. The Holon's eyes were staring down at the soldier. Almost if it was staring right into Dante's soul. "I heard rumours of such machines employed. How do you know so much about this technology?".

"There is hardly anything we know nothing about in this world lieutenant. In fact, we were able to capture one of these machines last year". The Colonel snapped his finger again. The vid was now replaced by a picture of the man Dante thought no longer existed. Shock hit him like a splash of cold water. The man he had longed to confront again.

"You mean this mech here is piloted.."

"By Julian Chase. Yes".

"What about the yellow one?"

The colonel sighed as he gestured to the display to rewind back to the other Holon. Another facial image was brought up next to it. This time one of a woman, Iranian descent evident by her short jet-black hair that was swept back. Her eyes were dark chestnut brown. A narrow chin with a small nose and prominent lips. Dante's mouth dropped upon when he realised who this was. Yasamin Madrani. Often referring to her as Yaz, she was one of his former wingmen when he began flying for the Union. For a time, they were close friends whilst in the same squadron, even closer than that. It was like this until she left him. Seeking asylum with the Polity following the imprisoning of her parents. Her sudden departure had since left a hole inside Dante that took almost forever to recover from.

"I heard you two were very close in your squadron Lieutenant," said the Colonel

Dante continued to stare at the display. The image changed again. The picture of Yaz was repositioned below her Holon. Then the image of the other Holon was placed next to them, with the face of Chase positioned underneath.

He pushed back into his chair. It appeared two of the most important people to him were now fighting for the Polity commandeering these machines. Dante believed that Yaz had her reasons for doing so. As for Julian Chase, he still yearned to confront him.

"Are you alright Lieutenant Dante?" The Colonel spoke again before filling his glass with water.

Dante took a deep breath. He knew deep down that confronting these two people was an opportunity he couldn't turn down, even if it wasn't done so in the sky.

"So, what's the plan?" Dante asked

The Colonel put down his glass and replied "It is simple. My engineers have accumulated enough knowledge to build our own Holons for the Union. We just need people like you to pilot them".

"I thought the Union wasn't capable of making their own stuff" Dante was referring to the Union's reputation for stealing other people's technology to make up for their lack of innovation.

"I'd be careful about saying such things if I were you. It's not like it matters where the technology comes from. Only how it is used. Anyway, we get you set up with your own Holon, train you up and when deemed ready, we'll have you out there for deployment to where we need you".

"How much say do I have in how this Holon will look?"

"We can build and modify it to meet whatever situations we come up against. You will also be working with others. We're scouring the Union as we speak for other potential candidates. You will be in joint-command of a squad of Holons fit to ensure the Union's supremacy on the battlefield".

Dante took one more look at the display and knew what to say.

"Alright, Rusev. You have a deal"

"Excellent" The Colonel rose to his feet. "I'll let you know when we are ready to start".

"What about my current squadron?"

"Your second in command will be the new leader. I'm pretty sure they are competent enough to carry on without you babysitting them". The Colonel pushed his chair underneath the table and proceeded to the door.

"One more thing Colonel," Dante asked

"Yes?" The Colonel paused.

"What are we calling this unit?"

The Colonel tilted his head whilst contemplating the question. He then answered, "We're thinking of calling Task Force Talon".

"Talon huh? Yeah, I like the sound of that. Thank you Colonel", he lightly saluted him.

"You're welcome comrade" Rusev returned a salute with his cap before placing it back on his head. "Oh and one more thing, here is your new badge. Hope you like". Colonel Rusev pulled something out from one of his pockets and placed it on the table. He went over to the door and waited for him. Dante inspected the object as he rose from his seat. The badge was an upside-down chamfered triangle. It bored the silhouette of a bird's claw in black on a background of crimson red. Dante picked it up and clenched his hand loosely around it. He stared one more time at the images of those who he will face one again.

"Just you two wait," Dante muttered. "I'm coming for you both". At that point, he walked away from the table and the images disappeared as the display was deactivated.


End file.
